Disclaimer::::

I do not own the characters from Harry Potter or Howl's Moving Castle. Only my OC character (s).

I don't make any profit from any of my stories on this website.

Rated M due to future sexual content.

"Characters Speaking"
Characters Thinking
/Authors Comments\

~~~Chapter Nine~~~

We quickly found a way inside and I placed Calcifer where the hearth once was and we quickly gave him bits of wood from the castle. Sophie then tried to convince Calcifer to move the castle. Of course, she managed to convince him after a few minutes of sweet-talking.

"All right. I need something of yours, either one of you two, it doesn't matter." Calcifer admits.

"What about this?" Sophie volunteered, holding up her long braid. Calcifer reached up and formed one hand into a pair of scissors, cutting most of Sophie's hair off and gobbling it up.

He glowed a dark purple then shot up with a loud shriek, picking the ceiling up with his larger form. A section of the floor fell from beside us, almost taking Markl with it before Calcifer started to move the castle down the rocks of the mountain.

Sophie and I got onto our knees to look out, as Turnip-head hopped along under the castle. "Thanks, Calcifer. You're fantastic!". I told him happily.

"Imagine what I could have done with your eyes. Or your heart. He told us, his voice echoing.

"That's it! You've got Howl's, heart!" the Witch of the Waste exclaimed sounding happy. way too happy. "I found it!"

"I can see Howl down there! Looks like he's trapped!" I yelled out. We gasped a lightning struck where Howl was.

"Calcifer, hurry!" I yelled, turning back to hear him shriek. The Witch was grabbing Calcifer's shovel, pulling it from under the wood as she reached towards Howl's heart. "Put that back! I yelled at her, racing to her side to try and get Calcifer out of her hands.

"Howl's heart, it's mine!" she yelled. Sophie grasped her around the waist from the back. Calcifer was losing control of the castle. The castle was starting to stumble down the hill. The witch was thrown against the wall, letting Calcifer's flames engulfing her.

"Put Calcifer back now!" I yelled, catching Markl and holding his tightly as he nearly slips through the hole.

"It's hot! Oh, it's burning me!" she cried out as I stood once more and tried to pry her hand off the heart. "Let go! You're catching on fire!" I yell though I notice that I don't seem to be affected by the heat. "No, it's mine! It's mine! It's mine!" she yelled.

"No, it's not! It's Howl's!" I yelled at her, but gasp as we were drenched with water. I cried out as the flames turned a dangerous blue. 'If I die, Howl dies too, I hope you know!' Calcifer's words were echoing non-stop in my head as tears began to pool in my eyes and my magic began to escape from my core, reacting wildly to the emotional pain I was feeling.

I only had enough time to hold on to something as the floor suddenly fell out from underneath us. The castle was breaking apart with Calcifer not there to control it. Heen jumped into Sophie's arms as we all fell screaming down the depths of the cavern.

"Rose! Sophie!" Markl shouted. We landed on hard ground. I kept my face turned away from Sophie. "Oh, Rose, I'm so sorry!" she sobbed into my shoulder. "I didn't even think."

Sophie suddenly gasped and shook me, making me look up to see that the ring I got from Howl was rattling with a blue light coming from the red gem.

"Is Howl still alive? Can you lead me to him?" I asked the ring. A blue light led to a metal heap. We saw a door so we moved away from the metal before I opened the door. I gasped, feeling only blackness instead of stone like I was expecting.

Without a second thought, I walked through the door. Sophie and Heen quickly caught up to me and we appeared inside a small cottage. This is Howl's private cottage. Why are we here? I moved outside to see the lack of any flowers just as shooting stars fell from the sky, bursting onto the ground. The ring started to rattle on my finger.

Far across the field a starburst, lightening up the form of a young boy wandering around "Howl!" I gasped as more shooting stars raced down from the sky. I raced down the steps of the cottage before Sophie could even open her mouth. She raced after me, calling out my name.

"We're in Howl's childhood. This is how Howl must have made the contract with Calcifer!" I paused for a moment then gasped as I felt my feet sinking into the black mud and I stumbled back, just to see one last shooting star shoot across the sky, landing into Howl's palm.

That must be Calcifer. Howl swallowed Calcifer. Young Howl gasped in pain, coughed and clutched his chest just as a flame came into his hand.

The ring burst and the ground opened up below us as I called out to the two behind us. "Howl! Calcifer!" I cried out as Howl turned to us, the flame in his hand poking its head up curiously. "It's us, Rose and Sophie! I know how to help you now! Find us in the future!" I yelled as the ground swallowed us. We fell from the sky until it faded to darkness and we started walking. Tears were streaming from my eyes.

"Rose, are you alright?" Sophie asked me concerned.

"Sorry, Sophie, I'm trying to hurry. I just can't seem to stop crying." I told her quietly as the door appeared. I walked quickly out the doorway, pausing when it disappeared behind us, before looking forward and freezing. Howl was there, crouched down and breathing heavily in his bird form.

"Howl," I said softly, moving forward and shifting the feathers from his face. His eyes were blank and blood was dripping from him. "I'm sorry. Did I come too late? I didn't mean to make you wait this long." I apologised, leaning forward to gently peck his lips. "I need you to take us to Calcifer is you can." He outstretched his foot and I climbed on with Sophie at my side, watching Howl as he unfolded his wings and took off to the sky as we clutched onto his leg.

We found the castle on the edge of the cliff with only the floor and its two legs still uprights. We landed gently on the floor and we stepped off Howl as he fell to his side. The feathers and bird-like features disappeared from Howl's body until only the man was left behind. I gently rolled him over, moving his hair out of his face as Markl ran over.

"Is he dead?" he asked me while Sophie took a step back.

"No Markl," I said to him before walking over the Witch of the Waste who was still clutching onto Howl's heart. "Howl needs that back now," I stated as I kneeled before her with my hands outstretched.

"Don't look at me. I don't have it. I don't know what you're talking about." she mumbled, looking away. I embrace her tightly. "Please. Please give it back." I begged.

"You really want it that badly?" she asked me. I could only nod against her shoulder before pulling back. "All right, then. You'd better take good care of it. Here, dear." she said, handing the pulsing blue flame over to me.

"Thank you, you have a big heart," I told her, cupping Howl's heart in my hands before getting up. I walked over to Howl's unconscious form and bent down, leaving Sophie with the Witch of the Waste and Turnip-head. Not like he is very far from Sophie.

"Calcifer," I called out to him as he gazed up at me.

"Rose, I'm so tired." he whispered.

"If I give Howl back his heart, what will happen to you?"

"I'll be okay if you do it. I think. Sophie dumped a bucket of water on me and Howl and I both survived, though you did block most of it with your magic and your body." he rasped.

"I better try then," I said softly, closing my eyes and feeling the soft thumps of Howl's heart. "It's fluttering like a bird. And it's so warm."

"It's still just the heart of a child." he says.

"Please, let Calcifer live." I prayed. "And please help Howl take back his heart." I placed my hands on Howl's chest and pushed the flame into it. Sparks flew through my hands, followed by a shimmering light.

"I'm alive! I'm alive! Look, I'm free!" Calcifer cheered and I smiled sadly. Happy he is free but sad to see him fly off. "Free! Free! I'm alive!" Howl moaned, instantly directing my attention back to him. At least until the castle started to creak.

"It can't stand without Calcifer!" Markl yelled as Sophie pulled him down to the floor. I held onto Howl so he didn't slip off as we slid down the edge of the mountain, all of us screaming loudly. Turnip-head jumped in front of us and tried to slow us down. He was successful but his pole was snapped in doing so.

"Turnip!" Sophie yelled out in concern. We slid off the side of the mountain but got stuck between two large rocks that held us from falling. I sat up, gently pulling Markl up from his place buried in my side as Sophie picked up Turnip-head.

"His pole snapped! Are you alright? We'll get you a new pole ok? You save us, Turnip." she said before leaning down to kiss him. It seems the spell on him has been broken by Sophie. His scarecrow arms and legs changed to real one, his face turned human as his suit turned to gold and his hair grew and turned blonde.

"Thank you, Sophie," he said with a bow. "I'm the prince who's been missing from the neighbouring kingdom. Somehow I got that blasted spell put on me," he told her as I gently ran my fingers through Howl's hair. I look at Sophie to see that she was blushing!

"I know that spell. A kiss from your true love breaks it." The Witch of the Waste said with a smile. I had to bit my lip gently to keep myself from chuckling as Sophie's face only grew redder.

"That's right. If it weren't for Sophie, I would have been a scarecrow for the rest of my life," he stated.

My attention was diverted when Howl began to stir, groaning as his eyes fluttered open and he sat up.

"What's going on? What am I doing here?" he asked, groaning at the pain coming from his chest. "I feel terrible like there's a weight on my chest," he said, lying back down.

"A heart's a heavy burden," I said with a grin, launching myself at him as his blue eyes shined up at me happily. I let out a giggle as he turned and pinned me down on my back, leaning down to kiss me deeply. He pulled away to give the two of us some air before leaning in for another.

"Rose!" Markl whined, making me back away from Howl to look at my cub, who had his eyes closed thanks to the Witch since Sophie and the Prince were kissing too.

I giggled, taking Markl into my arms before leaning my back onto Howl's chest as he sat up with his leg bent.

"You should go home and tell your king to stop this dumb war." The Witch of the Waste advised as the Prince and Sophie walked towards us.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'll do. One thing you can always count on is that heart change," he said while looking at Sophie, causing her to blush deeply. "So as soon as the war is over, I shall return for you, my love," he promised, stepping forward and placing a light kiss on Sophie's lips.

We climbed up the hill and waved the prince off as he bounced away on a pole across the sky. My eye lit up as a familiar shining light came spiralling towards us.

"Hey, it's Calcifer!" Markl said.

"You didn't have to come back, Calcifer," Howl told him with a grin as I moved away causing his hand to loosen its hold from around my waist. I held Calcifer in my palms.

"I kind of missed you guys And it looks like it's gonna rain." He admitted with a pout.

"I missed you too, Cal," I said, before leaning down to give him a kiss, laughing when he blushed.

Later that week, the war was officially ended and the battleship was heading home, we were floating above the town in our new flying castle made from the metals from the battleship with new features and different hearths for Calcifer so he could move around in the house. I stood on a long balcony, watching the cloud roll by.

"Rose? Are you out here?" Howl asked, opening the door and smiling wide, eyes lighting up when he saw me. "Hello, love," he said, walking out and holding on to the side as he joined me in watching the clouds.

I was caught by surprise when he grabbed my hand and pulled me to his chest, before leaning down and giving me a deep kiss. "I actually came out here to ask you something," he said when he pulled away for air.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

Howl smirked and pulled out a beautiful diamond ring from behind his back, making me gasp slightly as he slid in onto my ring finger.

"Will you marry me?" he asked. Tears filled my eyes before I lunged at him and brought him into another deep kiss. "So, is that a yes?" he asked, pulling away as I nodded against his neck. We moved back inside to tell the others. I sat next to the Hearth while Howl went to play with Markl and Heen. I finally have what a wanted when I first came to this world. A family!

/Thank you for reading this chapter. Please leave a review. Your opinions are appreciated.\